Santorum stepped aside Tuesday to avoid embarrassing himself on his home turf in the Pennsylvania primary. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)

In his first public appearance since daughter Bella was released from the hospital Monday, Rick Santorum addressed reporters during a televised news conference in Gettysburg, Pa.

Flanked by his family, Santorum took to the podium. "We had a difficult weekend," he said, calling his daughter's health issues "a bit of a Passion play."

The candidate consulted with his family before making his decision. "It did cause us to think about the role we have as parents," Santorum said. "This was a time for prayer and thought."

He spoke of the inspiring people he'd met on the campaign trail, volunteers and voters alike, and the successes he had found. "We were winning," he said, thanking his sweater vest.

"Miracle after miracle, this race was as improbable as anything you'd see for the presidential election," Santorum said, "and I want to thank all of you.

"We can never go forward unless we remember who we are, and what makes us Americans," Santorum continued. "Against all odds, we won 11 states. We were able to spread that message far and wide across this country. We found that support, and I found a deeper love for this country. It was a love affair for me, seeing the wonderful people of this country, who care deeply about the future of this country. Ladies and gentleman, we made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential campaign is over for me, we are not done fighting. There's a lot of greatness in this country, and we just need leaders who believe in that."

CNN reports that by suspending his campaign, not formally dropping out, the senator can continue to raise money.

Pennsylvania was expected to be his last stand in the primaries, but recent polls have shown Romney leading in the state. It's likely Santorum chose to suspend his campaign just a couple weeks before the April 24 contest to avoid embarrassment.

From The Washington Post:

The former Pennsylvania senator had been Romney’s top opponent, but he suffered a trio of defeats last week in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia, and over the weekend his daughter, Bella, was hospitalized for the second time this campaign due to complications from a rare genetic disorder.

Santorum is currently second in the delegate race, but he would have to win upwards of three-fourths of the remaining delegates in order to secure the nomination.

Instead, he seemed to be hoping that Romney would fall short of the delegate threshold and that he could snatch the nomination at the Republican National Convention in August.

Though Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich are still in the running, political insiders seem confident the primary season is over, with Romney all but named as the Republican nominee.

Romney issued the following statement just after Santorum's announcement:

“Senator Santorum is an able and worthy competitor, and I congratulate him on the campaign he ran. He has proven himself to be an important voice in our party and in the nation.  We both recognize that what is most important is putting the failures of the last three years behind us and setting America back on the path to prosperity.”

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